Surprise
by little miss somebody
Summary: Set after the porch hug in 'Since You've Been Gone' between Bright and Hannah.
1. Chapter 1 From Bright's POV

By the expression on her face, it looks like for once, I may have actually said the right thing. She leans over the step and hugs me. For a split second, I am taken back but then I recover quickly and hold her tightly. I'm not quite ready to let get go and by the looks of it, neither is she.As we continue to hug, I start to notice other things, small things, like the fruity shampoo smell of her hair and how soft it feels against my cheek. As I think about what we were talking about, I am reminded of Colin, of his death, of the fact that I could lose someone else I cared about and I find myself tightening my grip around her. She must have noticed because she pulls away slightly, looking into my eyes inquisitively. Somehow, she knows that I am thinking of Colin and suddenly all the sadness all the guilt just comes pouring out of me. She doesn't prompt me or offer any advice, she just holds my hand and listens. Yet somehow, it makes me feel a lot better. We end up sitting on the porch and talking the whole night. This whole being friends with a girl, is a completely novel thing for me. I've dated a lot of girls but I've never once been able to talk to them like I am talking to Hannah now.

The next day, Amy informs that Hannah is going for the test. I am uncertain whether what I said influenced that decision in any way, but I don't know how I feel about it. Amy, however, seems certain that this is the right decision. All I can think about is the possibility that the test may be positive and even the idea of that bothers me. I don't know when or how, but sometime during the course of the year she has come to mean a lot to me. The whole day I debate whether or not I should go see Hannah about the test thing.

As things go, it happens that I don't end up having enough time to worry about the test and the results. Not soon after I find out that Jillian has accused me of sexual misconduct. At first, I am indignant. Jillian and I had only gone on a couple of dates, I didn't realise that she would take it so hard when I dumped her. But my mum says something that makes me think, pointing out that I seem to treat women like objects. A huge part of me doesn't want to believe that I am such a jerk, that I am not like that. But as I start to go through the list of girls I've dated in my head, I can't think of one girl that I had anything remotely meaningful with. I am not exactly eager to be tied down or anything but it is pathetic when you think that the only women I seem to respect are members of my family. No, that's not entirely true, I would say I respect Hannah too. But then again, I was a complete jerk to her in the beginning too. So that list of women I have treated with respect seems to be quite short and while I know to it's too late to being making new year's resolution, I find myself promising myself to make that list longer.

At Ephram's surprise party, I stumble across Hannah sitting on the stairs alone. My heart drops quite literally when I see her sad face. I pray silently that it's not bad news, terrified to ask her what the results.

" It was negative."

And suddenly I feel so relieved. I know I have a massive grin on my face but I can't help it. Her expression changes too. She's still teary-eyed but they are tears of joy now. I pull her into a huge hug, twirling her around. As I put her down on the ground, I find myself staring in the eyes. I don't know how it happens, but the next minute we were kissing. What I do know is that I kiss her back and I enjoy it. It was only a brief kiss, over before it had really started but it changes everything. I am shocked, and by the looks of it, so is she.

"I think I need some time alone just to deal with result".

I nod, unable to find any words. Who would have thought that I'd be speechless. I comply and leave her.

The next morning, as we sit to breakfast, Dad asks about Hannah.

"The results were negative, " I tell him.

"Yeah she's decided to go back to Minnesota for a week to go visit her family," adds Amy

This news shocks me. After all, it's hardly a good sign if someone leaves the state after you kiss. Logically I know that she's probably going home because of the results but it has just left me more confused. Hannah is hardly the kind of girl I normally go about kissing. We were both caught up in the heat of the moment. And yet I can't keep thinking about her. I know I like her, I know that right now I miss her, and I know that I returned the kiss. Suddenly I feel like everything has changed and I start to wonder if perhaps I like her like her. Unlike Ephram or Amy, I don't like to analyse things, I prefer to act first, think later. I know the only real way I can solve this is by seeing her again. At first I think of going to Minnesota to sort it out. But I don't want to intrude on her family gathering and this can wait.

The week passes so slowly. On the day of her arrival back from Minnesota, I actually find myself excited with anticipation. I wait in her room, planning things that I might say. However, when she enters the room, I end up taking a different route. I walk up to her, cup her face in my hands and kiss her properly. Who would have thought? That I'd be having a make out session with Hannah on her bed. It's not like I haven't done this before, with other girls, many probably more experienced than her, and yet today, when I kiss her, I feel something different, good different.

"Look Hannah, I know this was probably unexpected I mean it was for me ..." I want to kick myself as I hear myself babble. Since when do I babble. However, it seems that Hannah isn't in the mood for talking as she silences me with another kiss.


	2. Chapter 2 From Hannah's POV

From Hannah's POV

_15th February 2005_

Dear Diary,

Yesterday, I attended Ephram's surprise party, after finding out that my results being negative. I knew logically that I should be happy, but I could not quite process the happiness as I was so overwhelmed with guilt. Don't get me wrong, I certainly did not want to have the disease, but part of me felt guilty that my dad had it, and I didn't. Survivor's guilt type of thing I guess. I kept myself in the corner, trying to avoid having to tell anyone, especially when I was so unsure about how I felt about it myself. I know I must have seemed upset because when Bright approached me, he looked prepared to hear the worst. It was only after telling him, after seeing the happy expression on his face, that suddenly I realised how lucky I was. I cannot tell you how or why what happened next, did, I think it was the heat of the moment, but we ended up kissing. It was short, over before it had even began, but it was a kiss all the same. My first kiss! Was with Bright! And I was so unprepared.

Nothing much happened after that. I excused myself as quickly as I could, not knowing what to think, what to do. I started to think about what I was going to do next. Knowing that my results were positive, I decided it was time to visit my family. There has not been a day when I haven't thought about them and missed them, and I could finally go home with this huge burden lifted from my shoulders. And to be honest, I guess I was glad that I had an excuse to stay away from Bright for a while. That kiss really rattled me, more than I would like to admit.

_18th February 2005_

Dear Diary,

It has been wonderful returning home. Nothing had changed. Everyone is exactly the same. It is almost like I have not been away at all. My family are glad to hear that I do not have the disease, but they are starting to put pressure on my brother to get the test too. I feel guilty about it, but I am glad that I decided to visit.

_21st February 2005_

Dear Diary,

I am on the way back to Everwood now. I cannot stop myself from analysing the situation with Bright. In the beginning, I only had a crush on him, because I thought he was hot. But since then, after getting to know him better, I have realised that not only is he hot, but he also has such an amazing personality. But I cannot help feeling that he is way out of my league. He tends to go for the beautiful, confident, outgoing girls. And I don't think I'm any of those.

I love my family, but I have to admit that I've grown quite fond of Nina, the Abbotts, Everwood. I remember the conversation I had with Nina a while back, about how it takes courage to tell someone how you feel. In that moment when I first kissed him, I stopped analysing and just followed my heart. Admittedly, the outcome, i.e. his rejection, was not exactly very positive. But I do not regret, for one second, taking that chance. This time, however, it is different. He did not pull back, he reciprocated. It probably did not mean as much to him as it did to me, it probably was just a spur of the moment thing, but I am not sure if it matters. I'll let you know how everything goes

_22nd February 2005_

Dear Diary,

I can hardly believe it. I am half afraid that sometime soon I will wake up and it will all have just been a dream. A wonderful dream but a dream nonetheless. You see, I have just been making out with Bright on my bed. And it was everything I hoped it would be.

Imagine my surprise when I arrived home and found Bright it my bedroom. At first, I thought I was imagining it. You know when you spend so much time thinking about someone that you see them wherever you go? Well I just assumed that it was one of those times. When I realised that it was in fact Bright, I tried to play it cool, attempting to disguise the excitement I felt just seeing him there. I am embarrassed that I have become one of those girls who gets so excited just by being in the presence of the guy she likes. Nothing, however, could prepare me for what happened next. He walked towards me, cupped my face in his hands, and kissed me. I was so taken back, I don't think I responded at first.

He paused for a second. He started talking, saying,

""Look Hannah, I know this was probably unexpected I mean it was for me ..."

I interrupted him however, by pulling him back to a kiss. I realised; at that moment, that I did not care. I know I am inexperienced, and was probably doing it completely wrong, but I did not care. All I wanted to do was enjoy the fact that I was making out with Bright on my bed.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks for all your kind comments._

While you are in the act of kissing someone, all rationality flies outside the window. There comes a time when you have to stop, and suddenly you have to face reality. It is amazing how you can be so uninhibited one moment and then feel so awkward the next. For Bright and Hannah that inevitable moment came and the subsequent awkwardness ensued. Neither of them wanted to be the first to speak, to acknowledge that the nature of their relationship might have changed.

Hannah bit her lips, watching Bright. She could feel her heart pounding her chest. Part of her wanted to jump, to scream to laugh, to, in some way, express the joy she was experiencing at the moment. Yet the other part of her, the more rational analytic part, wished she could hide, to skip this awkward bit. She gave Bright a weak smile, not knowing what she could say to break the ice. She hated being this inexperienced, wondering if all the other girls Bright had been with, knew exactly what to say and do afterwards.

Bright could feel Hannah's eyes on him. There were few times when he had ever been rendered speechless, this moment was one of them. Usually he never had a problem with this part, mostly because usually he never planned on seeing the girl again. This was different, though, because he really liked her.

"I'll go get us drinks." Bright winced after making the comment, thinking how pathetic it sounded

Hannah did not know whether to feel disappointed or relieved by his temporary departure. Suspecting that perhaps Bright was giving her opportunity to sort her head out, she grabbed her diary, lay her head on the pillow and started writing furiously in it. She was interrupted by Bright re-entry, so unable to finish writing entry, she quickly threw her diary on her desk, hoping not to draw attention to it.

He passed her a drink and settled down next to her on the bed.

"So how was Minnesota?"

At first she found it difficult to find the words to articulate herself. It was easy enough when she was writing it in her diary, but she had problems trying to express herself aloud. However, the more she spoke, the easier the words flowed and the more relaxed she felt. She was still acutely aware that Bright was lying right next to her, her whole body feeling like it was on fire. Yet at the same time, she was starting to feel more comfortable with him being that close.

Bright watched her face as she talked enthusiastically about her family and smiled, playing with some stray strands of hair that seemed intent on covering her eyes. He watched her face change as she mentioned her father, her eyes welling up with tears. Instinctively, he pulled her into a hug, soothingly stroking her back as she sobbed quietly until he noticed that the tears had subsided and she had fallen asleep. For a moment, he watched her sleeping peacefully as if she hadn't a care in the world. As gently as he could, he disengaged himself, managing to avoid waking her up. He did not want to leave but knew that neither his parents nor Nina would be pleased if they discovered that he had spent the night in her bed, no matter how innocent it may have been. He scoured the room looking for a piece of paper. Upon finding some, he wrote a note to explain his absence. He noticed her diary, lying wide open on her desk. He knew that he should not read it but he managed to convince himself that he was only going to take a quick glance. As much as he wanted to believe that they were now on the same wavelength when it came to their relationship, a huge part of him could not help wondering if perhaps after getting to know him, Hannah might feel differently. He was relatively certain that she found him physically attractive, but he couldn't help wondering if like all the girls he knew, she thought he was undateable. So, despite knowing that it was an intrusion of privacy, he decided to read the last entries of her diary, which then inspired him to add a postscript to his note.

Hannah woke up the next morning, unsure whether she had dreamt the night before. She turned her head to see whether Bright was there and was disappointed to find him absent. Often, she had dreamed of Bright, of what it would be like. Yet last night had seemed so real. And then she spotted the note.

_Dear Hannah_

_Had to go. Did not think it would be a good idea if Nina found me in your bed. _

_Bright_

_PS. I am thinking of catching a movie on Saturday night. Would you like to come with me (on a date)?_


	4. Chapter 4

_I apologise for taking so long to update this. I wasn't really feeling inspired about this bit. I hope it doesn't show in the writing. _

A couple of minutes ago, her room had been buzzing with female activity. She had had Nina, Delia and Amy in her room helping her get ready. Hannah hadn't realised until now, how long and stressful the whole getting ready bit could be. She had not really given much thought to the issue, until Amy had arrived at Nina's house, several hours before the actual date. With hindsight, Hannah was glad that she had had their support. They had stopped her from becoming the quivering wreck she knew she was. She checked herself in the mirror one last time, nervously playing with her top. Her heart was pounding rapidly. This was it, the moment she had been dreaming about for so long.

She heard voices downstairs, one which she recognised to be Bright's. 'Don't panic' she told herself. She glanced quickly around, looking at her exit options. There was no escape. 'Take deep breaths,' she kept telling herself, trying to stop her hands from trembling.

As she walked down the stairs, she closed her eyes briefly, taking one deep breath before she managed to muster up a nervous smile. In the corner of her eye, she could see Bright talking to Nina. He glanced up quickly in her direction, and upon seeing her smiled warmly.

Much to his dismay, Bright found that he was suddenly feeling quite nervous. Despite the experience he had had with other girls, this still felt like the first time.

"Hey," he whispered, suddenly feeling his mouth go dry.

"Hey"

"Should we?"

"Yeah"

They both laughed and suddenly the awkwardness dissipated. Bright gently took her hand and led her to the car.

"I just thought I'd say it now, get it out in the open, but well, I'm not going to see any chick flick"

"Bright, if you think that you can persuade me to go see a bunch of guys blowing each other up, you are mistaken."

"Comedy?"

"Comedy it is"

**- The End**


	5. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

It is amazing how judgements and feelings change, how one day you look at someone and realise that they are all you have ever been looking for in a person. This person could be a friend, a neighbour, a complete stranger. They might be someone whom you never thought you could possibly fall for or someone you thought could never possibly fall for you. That's the magic of it all; the surprise.


End file.
